OAKESHOTT TypeXX Swords

As the Middle Ages transitioned into the Renaissance, the sword entered its final golden age as a battlefield weapon. In Oakeshott's early typology, Type XX was the last of the thirteen types.

The blade of a Type XX is broad and large, sometimes extremely wide near the hilt. The cross-section is typically lenticular, with some examples being hexagonal or octagonal.

A typical Type XX blade features three fullers: a central fuller extending beyond the midpoint of the blade, flanked by two shorter, shallow fullers in the upper quarter of the blade. However, not all Type XX swords strictly follow this "three-fuller" rule. Some blades have two very narrow, deep fullers side by side, extending about a quarter of the blade length.

^{Type XX——Credits: Sword Buyers Guide}

The grip is long, typically 8 to 10 inches (20–25 cm), designed for two-handed use. The pommel is most often of the scent-stopper form (Type T), though wheel pommels are also found. The cross is long and slender, inclining downward at an angle on each side while remaining straight.

^{COMMON POMMEL TYPES——Credits: Sword Buyers Guid}

^{COMMON GUARD TYPES——Credits: Sword Buyers Guide}

Type XX has a subtype — Type XXa.

^{Type XXa——Credits: Sword Buyers Guide}

The blade is broad, tapering sharply to an acute point, with the same fuller arrangement as Type XX. The grip is shorter, designed for single-handed use. The pommel is always of wheel or disc form. The cross is always short and very sharply arched, though some have hilts of cinquedea form.

^{COMMON POMMEL TYPES——Credits: Sword Buyers Guid}

^{COMMON GUARD TYPES——Credits: Sword Buyers Guide}

As his research deepened, Oakeshott later reclassified some swords originally placed under Type XXa as independent Types XXI and XXII.

Most surviving examples of this type appear to date from the late 15th century, though the earliest can be traced back to the early 14th century — spanning the critical period of transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Type XX was primarily distributed in Western Europe and Germany, with some blades bearing the wolf mark of Passau or Solingen. Surviving examples are not numerous — which only makes each remaining Type XX sword all the more precious.

Below are some historical examples of Type XX swords:

^{^{Type XX——Credits:Private Collection}}

^{Type XX——Credits: the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna}

^{Type XXa——Credits: the Bayerische Nationalmuseum, Munich}

^{Type XXa——Credits:Private Collection}

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OAKESHOTT TypeXX Swords